Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Holdings Lifted by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,618 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $2,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ADP. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 8,988 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,631,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 73,361 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,475,000 after acquiring an additional 9,019 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 43,620 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,769,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at $604,000. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 77,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,801,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $296.58 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $302.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $294.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.27 and a 1 year high of $322.84. The firm has a market cap of $120.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.18.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, CEO Maria Black sold 721 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.59, for a total value of $210,236.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 68,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,077,721.04. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total value of $106,366.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,027,233.98. This trade represents a 2.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,951 shares of company stock worth $1,762,074 in the last 90 days. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Automatic Data Processing

Automatic Data Processing, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization (PEO). The Employer Services segment offers strategic, cloud-based platforms, and human resources (HR) outsourcing solutions.